If you or your loved one have experienced a catastrophic personal injury such as a spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, severe burns, or serious orthopedic injuries requiring surgeries or long term injections, you may be need to provide a life care plan as part of your personal injury claim. While this plan is important to your personal injury case, it is also a valuable tool for managing your ongoing medical needs in the future.
What Is a Life Care Plan?
A life care plan is a document that is developed through consideration of published standards of practice for individuals with injuries like these, input from your doctors and others who are involved in treating you, and a comprehensive assessment of your current and future medical needs. This document provides a clear plan as to the best way to manage your functional impairments, future treatment costs, future care needs, and the associated costs of providing that care throughout the course of your life. Life care plans are used in personal injury trials in order for judges and juries to have an accurate picture of the long-term costs associated with the plaintiff's care and the impact that the injuries have had on his or her life. The life care planner works as an expert witness for the plaintiff – this is someone that your attorney hires in your case to advocate for the full nature and extent of your injuries and damages. When people represent themselves, they don’t hire professional experts and risk not being covered for any future care relating to their injuries from the accident! That why its critically important to hire an injury attorney in your personal injury case – otherwise, mistakes are made that can impact the rest of your life.
Some of the services that are covered in a life care plan include:
- Medical treatment for your injuries, including any therapies, tests, and prescriptions involved in treating your injuries
- Future surgeries and injections
- In-home care including medical care or a professional to help with personal or cleaning tasks around the home
- Home modifications such as wheelchair ramps, as well as any needed modifications to the plaintiff's automobile
- Medical equipment and supplies
- Orthotics and prosthetics
- Residential care, if necessary
Some of the records that are often evaluated during the development of a life care plan include patient interviews, medical and therapy records, as well as school/educational and vocational records. The reason for the vocational and educational records is to help determine the plaintiff's ability to be employed following the injury.
Often, the life care plan is challenged in court by a defense that doesn't want to pay the amount of costs called for within the plan. It is the job of the life care planner to provide extensive documentation proving the need for future treatments and the costs associated with those treatments, and to present this documentation in a way that judges and juries understand.
Let's Get Started
Because the amount of compensation you receive for your catastrophic injuries hinges on the ability to show the life-long impacts of your injuries, it is crucial that your life care plan is thorough. Whalen Injury Lawyers provides guidance to those suffering catastrophic injuries due to accidents caused by someone else's negligence. We can help with the process of developing your life care plan in the following ways:
- We will provide you with compassionate legal guidance for the type of life care plan you need.
- We will advocate on your behalf with your medical professionals.
- We will hire necessary experts in your case.
- We will provide you with experienced representation in court.
Past Case Results
At Whalen Injury Lawyers, our goal is to secure fair and equitable settlements for our clients who are victims of a car accident. We work to establish direct, meaningful, trusted and reliable relationships with every client we represent. When you need an experienced legal team with a proven track record of success, contact us today. We’re happy to offer you a free consultation with one of our successful personal injury lawyers to discuss your legal options. Our Denver Tech Center office is conveniently located at 7955 East Arapahoe Court, Suite 2375 in Centennial, CO 80112. You can reach us in Denver by calling (720) 307- 2666. Our Colorado Springs legal office is located in the Alamo Corporate Center at 102 South Tejon Street, Suite 1100, Colorado Springs, CO 80903. You can contact us in Colorado Springs by calling (719) 644-7000. Give us a call today. We look forward to helping you get the fair compensation you deserve.
